Author Topic: Benedictines in Brazil Need Your Support (Read 58213 times)

Plenus Venter · « **Reply #15 on:** April 08, 2024, 07:02:30 AM »

Quote from: Centroamerica on April 07, 2024, 08:59:05 AM

I’ve spent a lot of time there recently. Just got back from a recent trip 3 weeks ago. Inflation in Brazil hasn’t been quite as bad as in the US recently.
180 reais a month is reasonable. Remember when the Benedictines say the electric bill for the month for the school, monastery and Benedictine sisters etc. most people don’t realize that their school is literally a two room building on the same plot of land and they are not teaching those kids using computers. At most a couple lights being used. Remember the stoves are gas. Seminary? They don’t even claim to have a seminary if you ask in Brazil. Maybe a pre-seminary that is the monastery so the monastery serves as a school and seminary but it is stated as if it is separate facilities for people who don’t know. I mean, I’m not saying it was intentionally dishonest, but it sure seems misleading. Imagine paying over a thousand dollars a month to power up maybe 20 household lights a month and a refrigerator with a few fans.

I have been in touch with the monastery to address your concerns.
The electricity usage is indeed as stated on the monastery website, and the monastery certainly needs our support.
Please everyone, help this worthy bastion of Catholic Tradition.

Here are some facts provided by the monastery:

The state of Rio de Janeiro has the 6th most expensive electricity rates in Brazil (there are 27 states in all in Brazil) and Enel - RJ (the only electricity company that serves the monastery area) has the 2nd most expensive rates in all of Brazil. Where did this person live?

There is a difference in tariffs between individual and corporate bills (in the case of the monastery), i.e. that corporate bills are more expensive than those of individuals.

Where the monastery is located there is no water distribution service run by private or public companies and all the water that supplies the monastery, its hostel, the seminary, the convent and the school is obtained from various artesian wells that exist there. This water is extracted using electric pumps.

The monastery, seminary, school and convent are not all in the same building. They are all on the same land, yes, but the monastery land is a farm of 38.5 hectares (385000 m2!). So there are several buildings on the monastery's large plot of land where different things (not just those mentioned above) work, and with a certain independence; these establishments are not so close together that they can look like a single building and have a single energy bill, but rather there are several: the monastery, its hostel, seminary, school, convent, places where wells work, etc.

In the monastery itself there are 12 religious and there is never a shortage of guests, which are easily around 20 people living there. So, in addition to the many "lamps", there are also washing machines, 2 fridges and 2 freezers for storing food, computers and printers, an electric shower (this is how showers work in Brazil) in each of the 8 bathrooms in the monastery and its guesthouse;

There is a seminary or pre-seminary, whatever you call it, and it is located in a separate building, about 20 minutes' walk from the cloistered monastery. There, candidates are being prepared for the secular priesthood. They have regular classes and one of the candidates has already received the tonsure. There are currently four priests from the monastery and one secular priest who lives in the seminary itself. They are in charge of the classes. The building has everything the monastery has: light bulbs, computers, printers, washing machines, electric showers and an electric pump for extracting water;

The same can be said of the sisters' convent.

The school (for children and teenagers) not only has "light bulbs", but also computers and printers for the principal, secretary and teachers, as well as an electric pump for drawing water from the well.

To conclude, here are the figures for each of the energy meters for the last month:

Monastery: 788 BRLHostel: 137 BRL
School: 501 BRL
Sisters' convent: 382 BRL
Seminary: 312 BRL
Barn/well: 270 BRL
Other: 119 BRLTotal: 2509 BRL (around 500 USD)

Plenus Venter · « **Reply #16 on:** October 16, 2024, 01:27:57 AM »

I had an email from Renato, Bishop Thomas Aquinas's secretary, today.
He informed me that thanks to our support the solar panels have been successfully installed.
He further informs me that the monastery is still struggling financially.
Any donations will be gratefully accepted.
See above for information on how to donate.

AMDGJMJ · « **Reply #17 on:** October 16, 2024, 05:25:33 AM »

Quote from: Plenus Venter on October 16, 2024, 01:27:57 AM

I had an email from Renato, Bishop Thomas Aquinas's secretary, today.
He informed me that thanks to our support the solar panels have been successfully installed.
He further informs me that the monastery is still struggling financially.
Any donations will be gratefully accepted.
See above for information on how to donate.

I am not able to offer financial support but definitely will be praying. Thank you for keeping us posted!

Plenus Venter · « **Reply #18 on:** October 16, 2024, 07:29:24 PM »

"Buy the Benedictines a coffee - or two!"
For the love of God and souls, I'm begging everyone on this forum who can do so to donate just $10 to the faithful sons of St Benedict.
You can donate easily via PayPal at this link:
https://www.mosteirodasantacruz.org/doacaointernacional

There are several hundred visitors to this site everyday.
Even if every second person donates, we could have a couple of thousand dollars in their account by the end of the week.

"Lord, when did we see Thee hungry and fed Thee?....
As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to Me."

Pax Vobis · « **Reply #19 on:** October 16, 2024, 08:50:35 PM »

Thank you for the notice on this.

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Author Topic: Benedictines in Brazil Need Your Support (Read 58213 times)

Plenus Venter

Re: Benedictines in Brazil Need Your Support

Plenus Venter

Re: Benedictines in Brazil Need Your Support

AMDGJMJ

Re: Benedictines in Brazil Need Your Support

Plenus Venter

Re: "Buy the Benedictines a Coffee"

Pax Vobis

Re: Benedictines in Brazil Need Your Support